Senate moves to open adoption records (AUDIO)

This year’s effort to let adoptees learn who they really are is halfway through the state Senate. The legislature has searched for years for ways to let adoptees see their birth records. Privacy concerns have consistently been one of the hardest issues to resolve. This year’s possible solution is the one backed by Senator John Lamping of Clayton.

Lamping says the health information of adoptees, which often is sealed with the adoption records, will be of increasing importance in the 21st century.

One senator says the matter is a delicate issue, trying to balance the rights of birth parents and their desires for privacy with the rights of the now-adult child to know about his or her ancestry and family health history.

The senate, hoping it has found that balance, could send the bill to the House this week.